This monograph brings together some of the best practitioners of the art and craft of political biography in Australia. They are simultaneously some of our best scholars who, at least in part, have turned their attention to writing Australian political lives. They are not merely chroniclers of our times but multidisciplinary analysts constructing layers of explanation and theoretical insight. They include academic, professional and amateur biographers; scholars from a range of disciplines (politics, history, sociology, public administration, gender studies); and politicians who for a time strutted the political stage. The assembled papers explore the strengths and weaknesses of the biographical approach; the enjoyment it can deliver; the problems and frustrations of writing biographies; and the various ways the 'project' can be approached by those constructing these lives. They probe the art and craft of the political biographer.

Politicians' lives are public lives. The decisions they make and do not make, and the way they behave, affect us all and shape our lives. To what extent do the inner lives of our leaders influence their performance? Should we know about the inner person? Indeed, how can we know? The eight essays in this collection explore these questions and present some disturbing answers by scrutinising the 'character' of leaders as varied as Keating, Menzies, Hawke, Whitlam, Hasluck, Fraser, Calwell and Soeharto. Political Lives is an intriguing venture into the shadowy world of motives and values - and the inner past that shaped these leaders.

Political Lives is an intimate history of image-making and image-breaking in national politics. What was the story behind Bob Hawke's famed biography? Why does Paul Keating think biographies of serving politicians are 'like Polaroids of a busy life' while John Howard considers them a big mistake? Where is the 'missing' Menzies biography? Why are our early prime ministers largely absent from historical memory? Chris Wallace writes Australian political history anew through this account of prime ministers, their biographies and their biographers. Lively and astute, the book takes us into their motivations and relationships, some well-known and some hidden, and in doing so shows us Australian politics in a fresh light. 'For years there has been no shrewder or sharper commentator on Canberra politics than Chris Wallace. In this compelling, typically acute and unique study she contrives to illuminate all at once - and often as if for the first time - both the character of Australia's prime ministers and the way Australian political history has been made.' - Don Watson 'Original, compelling and provocative. Every page offers fresh insights. Political Lives provides a genuinely new way of looking at Australian politics and political biography. Wallace has written a series of brilliant mini biographical essays on prime ministers and their biographers, exploring their backgrounds, relationships, motivations and political impact. The result is a biography of prime ministerial biography, the like of which we have not seen before.' - Mark McKenna 'Politicians' log cabin stories have become such an important part of politics. But it has not always been so. Chris Wallace traces the intriguing role biography has played in framing our views of our leaders past and present, and examines how it has become such a potent force in the political contest.' - Laura Tingle 'Chris Wallace, scholar-journalist, has written this superb and fascinating analysis of political biography since Federation. Everyone interested in political history will love it. It concludes with a vital oath all her colleagues should observe: ''First do no harm - unless it's deserved and intentional''.' - Kim Beazley

The first comprehensive volume on the impact of digital media on Australian politics, this book examines the way these technologies shape political communication, alter key public and private institutions, and serve as the new arena in which discursive and expressive political life is performed. -- Publisher's description.

The global political environment in the twenty-first century is proving dynamic and challenging for Australian policymakers and political institutions. Australian Politics in the Twenty-first Century contextualises the Australian political landscape through an institutional lens. It examines the legislative and judicial bodies, minor parties, lobby groups, the media and the citizenry, providing historical and contemporary facts, explaining political issues and examining new challenges. The second edition has been updated to reflect the application of political theories in today's civic environment. New spotlight boxes highlight issues including marriage equality, COVID-19 and federalism, the inclusion of First Nations peoples in the political system, and gender equality in public policy. Short-answer, reflection, research and discussion questions encourage students to test and extend their knowledge of each topic and to clearly link theory to practice. Written in an accessible and engaging style, Australian Politics in the Twenty-First Century is an invaluable introduction to the Australian political system.

Political Lives is an intimate history of image-making and image-breaking in national politics. In 2011, Chris Wallace was writing a biography of Julia Gillard. After seeing the unparalleled onslaught from the Abbott opposition, she cancelled her contract and repaid her advance with the awareness of how hard the biography could hit. Political Lives is a result of that fraught experience. In it Wallace reflects on the roles and motives of biographers and their biographies in the 20th century. To discover who wrote biographies, and why, Wallace interviewed every living 20th century prime minister and their biographer, from Menzies to Hawke, Whitlam to Keating. The result is an intimate history of Australian national politics.

A brilliant collection of the best essays by award-winning writer Judith Brett, long revered by those in the know as Australia’s brightest and most astute political commentator.